Hello everybody, let me introduce myself. I'm Stefan from Belgium and owner of a Ford Fairlane 500 2 door Hardtop (1957). I purchased the car as a started project but never finished by the previous owner. He sold the original V6 engine and bought a FE390 engine with C6 ****** of a '66 thunderbird. Now I have the following question. What do I need to change to install this engine? New engine mounts? And help is welcome. thanks
You'll have to change one of everything. Motor mounts, transmission mount, exhaust and perhaps the oil pan or modify the pan that is on the 390.
Well, it originally had a inline six, not a V6. As to installing that 390, it's nearly a bolt-in. Get a set of '58-64 stock V8 motor mounts and that will take care of the engine, you might have to do some minor mods on the trans crossmember for the C6. Oil pan will fit, as will the T-bird exhaust manifolds. You'll need a V8 radiator too, although the 6 cylinder one may work if you have the hose necks relocated/sized. Ford installed the FE in the '58 cars from the factory in 332/352 incarnations, that 390 is just a slightly updated version of the same motor.
Use the stock engine and trans mounts from the 66, you will drill one hole in each of them. The stock 390 oil pan should be fine. If you have power brakes, take a look at the clearance from the booster to the valve cover. The stock 390 p***enger side exhaust manifold will fit easily with lots of room. The exhaust manifold on the steering box side should clear OK, position the engine keeping the steering box and the brake booster in mind.
Hello Porkn******, thanks for answering. You know a store/place in US where i can buy the right mounts etc...?
@ Crazy Steve, Blackout, thanks guys, this is a more suitable answer I think. I'm goiing on the search for the original mounts. I'll keep you informed. greetz
The '58 Ford was just a re-skinned version of the '57, this swap can be done with off-t******lf parts as this was a common swap. A few other differences will be your front springs may be a bit light for the FE weight, and the radiator was shoved forward on the six cylinder cars, you'll want to it relocate back some to make the fan more effective if using a water pump driven fan. And six cylinder hardtops were rare, it's more likely the car originally had a Y-block V8; you can check this by looking for the OEM fuel line if it's still there. If it's on the driver side, the car was a V8, p***enger side a six....
Well there sure sounds like there are more than 1 way to put an FE in a 57 Ford. I've done this swap to many times to remember and am at it once again. Personally I use the 57-58 mounts. They bolt right up. You just need to turn them 180 degrees. See photo. (yes I was building headers) I have never changed a water pump be it Gen style or Alt style and have always been able to run a manual van with no issues. The 59 to 64 mounts go to the frame with a single stud. I never use them and have never had to change a p***enger car FE pan to do the install. 57-58 did not have a firewall mounted power booster and a FE valve cover will fit under the stock master cyl just fine. It really is a nuts and bolts deal. If you find a 58 mast jacket the shift linc will hook right up and work correct. This is a current project as of Dec. 2014 The Wizzard
@ crazy Steve, it's originally an six in line according the vin code (number). I can't understand why the previous owner sold the original engine.
@Pist-n-Broke thanks for the info, i see you where making your headers. Won't the original iron cast header fit? Can the original motor supports on the frame stay, or do i reposition them also? Have you also installed a C6 transmission in it? No problems with the firewall? thanks
Although 6 cylinder engine in Fairlane 500's may have been scarce in the US at the time, this car may have been intended for export when built. Europe has always been fuel cost conscious and power train choices for importation to the Continent often reflected that. Ray
Stefan; Yes you can run the 58/59 cast iron manifolds on fairly stock FE's. 1960 and later left side manifolds are quite tight at the steering box and have been known to cook the oil in them. I do happen to have an extra pair of 58-59 manifolds. Even here a good 58-59 left side manifold is extremly hard to find. They are pron to broken ears and stripped out threads. If your building good horse power, stock manifolds are just not going to get the job done. Let me make this very clear,,, There is NO need to CUT anything factory on the ch***is at ALL to install the FE/C-6 in your 57 car. Absolutly Nothing! It's been a while since I've used a C-6 but it seems it takes a 59-64 stock Ford mount and you go from a staggered bolt pattern on the frame to a strait across. Means drilling a hole. 65 they went to a saddle type mount to the frame. Do not try to use that style. Look close at my mount photo. That is the 57 Y-Block rubber mount bolted to the FE bolted to the factory frame mount. NO MODIFICATIONS, just turn the mount about face. NO firewall issues, no heater issues, no master cylinder issues. If you have factory Power brakes the bellows are under the dash and the vacc can is on the left inner fender panel. Just leave them alone, there fine. The Wizzard The Wizzard
These might be a little help. The second pic is the "regular" left hand 390 exhaust manifold, used on most cars and trucks. It exits forward of the steering box, but this picture is not enough of a close up to tell everything. In the second pic, you see how close the valve cover is to the master cylinder, so even with stock valve covers, if you did have a firewall mounted booster, the clearance is tight.
good luck with driver's side exhaust manifold clearance! You will need a 58-59 FE cast iron manifold if you don't want headers. Those manifolds don't flow much, but will do fine with a stock engine.
If you can find one pick up a 58 steering box, its a much better unit and gives you more room. If you do some head exhaust side & manifold milling, some 58 steering box grinding and grind a 50 cent size hole in the manifold then braze an upside down freeze plug in you can bolt on 427 hipo exhaust manifolds, Ive done it back in 1965
@Pist-n-Broke Is it possible to have also a power booster master cylinder mounted on the firewall, or isn't there enough space? thanks
Yes you can run a power booster and master cyl. with tall F E valve covers if you have some Fab skills. I have done this on both my 57 Convert and my Hard Top. It is NOT just a drill a hole and nuts and bolts deal. At the same time it's not that hard, at least not for me. My Hard Top has a full roller cam and will require valve adjustment often (more often than Hyd. lifters). I offset the master to the left but don't remember just how much (look at the photos). If you want I can get that for you. In one photo you can see just a pencil of space. Removing the valve cover with booster in place is not going to happen. I can't even set the motor in place with booster on the fire wall and valve cover on. Yes it's a pain. The 2 lower bolts on the booster come through on the beveled space and took some custom made hardware. For my project I used flex line so I don't need to disconnect any lines when doing valve adjustment, just unbolt the unit and lay it aside. The Wizzard
Ford used an 'offset' brake booster to address just this problem on many of the big block cars, and even some small block ones. Look under the hood of mid-late 60s Fairlanes/Torinos/Comets/Montegos, and big block Mustangs/Cougars. These have a bellcrank/bracket that moves the booster forward and up a few inches. These usually use a smaller-diameter booster too. Minor mods to the bellcrank bracket is usually about all that's needed, along with the right length pushrod. If you want to mod the bracket further, you can turn the bellcrank/bracket sideways and probably gain a bit more. If you're running a manual trans, this latter mod interferes with the clutch linkage but no issues with an automatic...
that link is www.57fordsforever.com Just click on "forums" when you get there. My tag there is my name...Rich Muise
Hello, thanks guys for the great advice. @Pist-n-Broke : do you used the original steering box? I'm thinking of using a power steering box from borgeson. I can't find a rack 'n pinion steering solution for it. greetings
The FE is a bolt in swap in any full size ford from 1954 thru 64. The drawback with the FE is the exhaust manifolds. There isn't much clearance and the log manifolds are very restrictive. Fabbing up a set of fender well hedders would greatly enhance performance. I once owned a 59 ford galaxie that had factory power brakes. The brake booster was located inside the car under the dash on the inside of the firewall.
When I started building my Headers the Borgeson box was not out yet. I have been told by 2 front end guys I have a lot of respect for that it's the best thing yet and should try it. No one including myself has much good to say about the Rack kits out there. Personally I find a good stock front end to drive very well. That's why I didn't change this 57 over to power. The Convert is for my wife and runs wider tires on the front. It got a little bit of help just for her. I also have a low mile 59 with factory power steering. It's really all you need if everything is in good shape. Personal opinion of course. The Wizzard
Stefan I have the Borgeson box in my 56 with an FE. The Borgeson box is wider horizontally than the 56 box, but I have not compared it to a 57 box. The fast ratio Borgeson completely changes the feel of the car and made it much more driveable. I think there is an aftermarket offset firewall booster set up for Thunderbirds, moves the booster up and to the left.
Looks like 55-57 Bird http://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-57-Thu...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a3766e1bb&vxp=mtr
a high-school buddy swapped a 390 into a '54, and as i recall (it was 50 years ago) he merely flipped the motor mounts around to do it.
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